Seven bidders in race for Winter Olympics 2026

This is the first group of bidding cities that will benefit from the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, which offer a cost efficient, transparent and flexible delivery of the games from candidature through to legacy, the IOC said.

The National Olympic Comittees and cities bidding for 2026 are:

Austrian Olympic Committee (Graz)

Canadian Olympic Committee (Calgary)

Italian Olympic Committee (Cortina d’Ampezzo/Milan/Turin)

Japanese Olympic Committee (Sapporo)

Swedish Olympic Committee (Stockholm)

Swiss Olympic Association (Sion)

Turkish Olympic Committee (Erzurum)

IOC President Thomas Bach said:

I warmly welcome the NOCs’ and cities’ interest in hosting the Olympic Winter Games. The IOC has turned the page with regard to Olympic candidatures.

Our goal is not just to have a record number of candidates, but ultimately it is to select the best city to stage the best Olympic Winter Games for the best athletes of the world.

These interested cities and NOCs will continue with the new Dialogue Stage in which the IOC provides NOCs with greater support, technical advice, communications assistance and materials to develop the best possible candidature.

The new approach enables cities to create the most feasible, legacy-enhancing Olympic Games possible. During the Dialogue Stage, the IOC will work together with the cities and NOCs to narrow the field and ultimately produce the best possible host city.

The New Norm will also afford increased flexibility in designing Games that meet the long-term development goals of the city, region and country.

The seven-year preparation journey has been significantly simplified, and hosts will receive more support from the IOC and the wider Olympic Movement.

Legacy is a priority from the very start of the planning through to final delivery and well beyond. The implementation of the IOC’s reforms will ensure that these elements are incorporated across the board and monitored from the earliest stages of Games planning and organisation.

The host city for the Olympic Winter Games 2026 will be selected by the IOC Session in September 2019.

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